Ant Control

These species are reddish black in color and can be found in various parts of the world, and they have built their nests outdoors inside of wood sources.

Coastal brown ants, Pheidole megacephala, also known as big-headed ants is a very successful invasive species and is considered a danger to native ants in Australia and other places. It has been nominated as one of the hundred ‘World's Worst’ invaders. There are two types of worker ant, the major or soldier ant and the minor worker. The common name of bigheaded ant derives from the soldier's disproportionately large head. This has large mandibles, which is commonly used to crush seeds other small items. The soldiers are about four millimetres in length, twice as long as the minor workers. The colour of both types varies from yellowish-brown or reddish-brown to nearly black. The rear half of the head is smooth and glossy and the front half sculptured. The twelve-segmented antennae are curved and have club-like tips. The waist or petiole is two-segmented with the node immediately behind conspicuously swollen. There is a pair of short, upward-facing spines on the waist. The body has sparse, long hairs.

Bull ants are large, alert ants that can grow up to 40 mm They have characteristic large eyes and long, slender mandibles and a potent venom-loaded sting. They have superior vision, able to track and even follow intruders from a distance of 1 metre. Many species of bull ants have bright red or orange colours on the head or abdomen. There are about 90 species of bull ants in Australia with diverse behaviours and life cycles. Nine bull ant species have been recorded in Sydney, but there may be more as yet undiscovered. Some of the smaller species are known as jumper ants after their habit of aggressively jumping toward intruders.

The common black house ant is small (2.5mm – 3mm) and attracted to sweet food. The worker ants enter homes usually under doors, or around windows and will leave long trails between their nest and the food they are collecting. They are found in urban and rural areas of Australia and like to nest against paths, stonework, under logs and can also nest between walls and in roofs. If they are nesting in your home, you will most likely find a pile of black droppings on floors or window sills as the worker ants are tasked to take the mess (rubbish) from their nest and dump it somewhere in order to keep the nest clean.

Native to South America, fire ants are small, coppery brown insects that can inflict painful stings on humans and animals. They can also have major impacts on our way of life. Unless controlled, fire ants could spread to large areas of Australia, and could severely damage the local environment, Australia's outdoor lifestyle, and agricultural and tourism industries. If you find suspect ants or a nest, you must report them online ( https://ants.daf.qld.gov.au/table-of-contents/report-fire-ants/ ) or 13 25 23.